After 4 nights at Osprey Marina we got underway again. It was the longest we had ever spent at a transient marina dock. Fortunately, it's reasonably priced, but the the price no longer drops on the 4th night. Oh well. We stayed for bad weather the first night, to watch the Women's Final Four on two nights, to clean up after our offshore adventures, to do some chores/maintenance and to just relax a bit. Our first passage from Socastee was a short one to Calabash, right on the SC/NC border (Little River). Short and easy.
Then it was on to Carolina Beach. No incidents along the way which means we did not go aground at the shallow spots we have visited in the past. We had several overnight thunderstorms and breezy days. It was nice not anchoring farther along the road in windy conditions. Made for more restful nights, four restful nights. Okay, one was a bit exciting for a while. Severe lightning and gale winds for a few hours. We did some hiking while at CB. Down to Carolina Beach Lake, along the ocean and up to the State Park. They claim the lake is the closest lake to an ocean but it isn't much bigger than a pond. The State Park is a little farther walk away but Carol found a Venus Flytrap plant even though it is a little early in the season for them. We also saw a Pitcher Plant that is also carnivorous.
Once on the road again, it was an uneventful, if cold and breezy, passage. New River Inlet was tricky as usual but we made it through to Mile Hammock, the anchorage basin at the USMC base, Camp LeJuene. There we hung on in gusty winds until morning. Nice to reaffirm our anchoring skills and holding ability of our anchoring system when it is windy in a semi-exposed anchorage. Especially when it has been a while. Mile Hammock is nearly land-locked but the trees are only on one side. Of course, the wind wasn't from that direction. We got underway in breezy conditions and it stayed that way all day. Cold, too. Very cold. An uneventful day (nice) ended at our usual spot in Cedar Creek, off of Adams Creek which comes from the Neuse River. It was still very windy. And rough. It was forecast to ease with evening so we hung on and hoped. It did, in fact, calm down and become a nice night. The next morning remained calm although the passage on the Neuse River and the Pamlico River/Sound system was a bit breezier than forecast. It was nothing like previous days and never got up to 1ft seas. Okay! We anchored up the Pungo River where it turns away from the ICW. This is just a few minutes before the Wilkerson Bridge which is on the Pungo-Alligator Canal. It stayed breezy overnight but nothing uncomfortable. Travelling up the Canal is very protected from the wind. We saw several small deer for the first time here and cleared the two bridges easily. The main Alligator River was a little lumpy at the south end but the wind eased as we went north. Albemarle Sound was easy, also. We anchored in our usual spot in Broad Creek near Shiloh, NC. This is a very small, isolated spot in the swamps. It can be buggy but we like the privacy and the comfort level. It seems like the middle of nowhere but cell service is good and it's beautiful in a barren sort of way. From there the next passage is usually okay but Currituck Sound can be rough. It wasn't but we had to interact with a barge along the way. We were just barely faster than him so we had to chat a bit to make a safe pass. He was polite and professional. They usually are but there are exceptions. We tied up at the free dock at Great Bridge, Chesapeake, VA as we always do. We restore the top of our mast to its normal configuration, get fuel and restock grocery items. Oh, some treats often get bought and consumed here. 🍦🍪🍰😝
Great Bridge was a warm, pleasant stop (humid, too) but I got some bad news and got involved in a Boot Key Harbor controversy. The bad news was I lost a friend to Lymphoma. He had been struggling for more than a year with the treatments and never had much of a prognosis. His symptoms went unrecognized for quite some time. Pneumonia was the final burden. Fair winds and following seas, Mike. I will miss you and be thinking of you. Best wishes to his S/O, Vicky.
The BKH controversy may get messier in the future. A friend was helping someone with diesel engine issues and there was a small flash fire with burns involved. The person getting helped then went the whining posts to Facebook route and others picked up with commenting on the situation without knowing the facts or the people involved. I know one of the people involved and chimed in with comments on the commentary, not the original incident. I know the character of only one of those involved but wasn't present so I don't know the facts but I commented on others making their comments even though they were not present either. Sigh. Any comment? 'Expert' commentary and opinion seems to be our new national sport.
Our passage to Hampton, VA was reasonably pleasant. Only a 30 minute delay at the N&S #7 RR bridge. Folks that left Great Bridge an hour before us were sitting at the bridge waiting also so they were there 90 minutes or more. Yuck. Total passage was only 4 hours. Breezy and cold, but okay. Hampton City Marina gives out vouchers for a free night on their docks at the Annapolis Boat Show in the Fall. When we get one we take advantage of it. Gets us close to the Chesapeake Bay and we do laundry and other minor preparations. Did I mention it's free? The Bay was roughish the day we went to Hampton but not bad the day we actually went on it. 180° shift in wind direction (yay!). Seas started out 1-2 ft on the stern but faded to less than half of that. Unfortunately we got stuck at our anchorage (Reedville, VA) for days due to a wind shift back to the north (boo!). It got tense a short while when a gusty front came through the first night. The wind direction was not predicted, was stronger than forecast and was from the longest fetch direction. The boat held on. One person and one cat slept through it all. No lightning was seen or thunder heard which is why the cat was fine. After we had 80° weather the previous week, the wind and cold hit harder. Not fun. Some things that were planned for Annapolis got done here. The oil changes, reconfiguring the GPS - VHF wiring so the AIS info comes up on the older GPS, and other minor stuff were tasks that could be done while waiting out the weather. Reedville is a popular cruise destination for boaters on the Chesapeake but when we are here it is not the season for shops and museums to be open so we do not get off the boat. If it was nice, we might but if it was nice, we would not be staying. We stayed 4 nights and had strong winds, rain, strong winds and strong winds and rain. Oh, and cold. Very cold. There were a couple of short breaks (very short) but none were long enough to get anywhere safe or safely. On the west side of the Bay the next safe anchorage is at least 6 hours (or more) away and hours north of the Potomac River, a difficult area in poor or marginal weather. There are no anchorages between Reedville and Solomons that could serve as a bail out if conditions get bad. So we wait. For days if need be. Travelling up the east side of the Bay doesn't work for us.
So we got to Solomons, MD after a 4 day delay and about 3 hours of lumpy conditions and 3 hours of nice conditions. The winds were light but on the nose so seas were up to 2 feet as we rounded Smith Point Light to start across the face of the Potomac River. 3/4 of the way across conditions improved greatly. It was never bad, just a little lumpy. The fuel dock we use was closed so we just went to anchor up Mill Creek. We had plenty of fuel to get to Annapolis. It's just more convenient here. Leaving Solomons was quiet but once we were outside in the Bay, it was a little lumpy. 1 to 2ft seas to start but once we were headed north the waves were on the stern and we were quite comfortable. Seas built to 2ft with occasional 3 footers as the wind got a little stronger as we pressed on north to Annapolis. The current was behind us pushing us the entire passage so we made great time. We arrived about 90 minutes quicker than the last time we made this passage, averaging more than 8kts over the ground. It would have been a miserable, slow trip if we were going in the opposite direction. It's why we waited for a southerly breeze. That, and the rain. And the storms. And the gales.
So, we are on an Annapolis city mooring in Back Creek of the MRE, the Maritime Republic of Eastport. We will get fuel (extremely expensive), groceries, medications, hardware and other necessities for our push home when the next weather window arrives. It doesn't look like a real break is in the offing so we are not sure of our upcoming passages. Our plan is to stay 4 nights which is less than our usual stay but we previously had several unplanned 4 night stays before getting here. Stay tuned to see if we get badly beaten up (again) or get lucky. Next blog posting will be after we are home in Old Lyme.
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